Another relevant point is that there is nothing stopping people in the North who are not in the PSNI from applying to become members of An Garda Síochána. I suspect the terms and conditions of An Garda Síochána are more favourable than those relating to people who join the PSNI. That is something we need to focus on. People from the North are welcome to apply to seek to join An Garda Síochána. I will go back to the Commissioner and I will also discuss the matter with officials in my Department. I would be intereste…

This is an important question. The issue to which it relates is sensitive in terms of how it can be dealt with. The guardianship of infants is set out through regulation and law under the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964. A significant modernisation of the law in this area was brought about in 2015, with the enactment of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015. This legislation extensively amended the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964. The amended Act aligns with Article 42A of the Constitution, which require…

The Deputy identified a good point in the context of where a child just needs a medical or educational assessment. If it is the case that the consent or agreement of both guardians is required, that can be very problematic. I accept the validity of what the Deputy says. There is the option available under section 11 of the guardianship Act that allows for an application to be made to the District Court, but parents should not be put to that expense, inconvenience and the level of time commitment involved in order t…

If it is the case that the matter has to go to court and the consent cannot be obtained, for example, where the other parent has no involvement in the child’s life, I would have thought that a District Court judge would take that into account and recognise that there has to be some practical solution to the application that is being brought if the parent who is minding the child needs to get the authorisation of the other parent or guardian in order for some assessment to be carried out if that person is not availa…

I thank the Deputy for raising the question on the numbers of gardaí in County Louth. I have been advised by An Garda Síochána that the numbers deployed tackling drug crime specifically cannot be shared for operational reasons. I commend An Garda Síochána on its excellent work yesterday or the day before when it apprehended a very large seizure of cocaine that was illegally and unlawfully brought into the country. That is a continuation of very considerable success that the Garda has had in recent years. There are …

This is the first opportunity I have had to address the House since the Leas-Cheann Comhairle was elected. I want to do publicly what I have done privately and congratulate him on his election. He has a reputation for representing the interests of Members of this House fearlessly, and that will serve him well in the office of Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I wish all the best in the future.

I also welcome that we are having statements today on policing and safety in our communities. As Minister for Justice, I assure the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Members of the House that my priority is to ensure the people can live in communities which they regard as enjoyable and safe. That is not just my priority. I know it is also the priority of my colleagues in the Department of Justice and the Ministers of State, Deputies Brophy and Collins. It is also a priority of the Government. When we refer to communities b…

I welcome the fact that Members have come in. The point I was making is that we need to be aware of what people expect of our justice system and policing in our community. People expect that, if there is criminal activity, An Garda Síochána will investigate it promptly. They also expect that, if there is suspicion of criminal activity and there is sufficient evidence, it will be brought before the courts and dealt with appropriately by the justice system. Another factor we need to focus on before looking at the spe…

Maybe I am driving people away. We have five.

Will I continue then? We have five with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. This is a serious debate; it is an important debate. Policing and safety in our community comprise one of the issues raised with me and my colleagues most regularly by constituents and I do not believe it should be used as an opportunity for playacting or trying to use the rules for some short-term political gain. If we want to have safety in our community, we have to ensure An Garda Síochána is well resourced. I will be unhesitatingly supportive of…

There are six Deputies present. As I was saying, this is an important debate and I would appreciate it if people would listen to what we are saying. There is an important message that the Government wants to put out. As I said, I will be unhesitatingly supportive of An Garda Síochána in the pursuit of law and order. I ask other Members of the House to be supportive of An Garda Síochána as well. It is extremely important we recognise that if we want our communities to feel safe and to be safe, we must support An Gar…

Thank you.

Yes. The Deputy might give me his name after the debate.

I know it well.

I commend Deputy Coppinger and her colleagues on using their Private Members' time to table this extremely important motion. As the Deputy indicated, the Government will not oppose the motion. I assure her that is not a case of the Government saying to leave it in our hands. I am fully aware Government will not have all the answers on this issue. Many proposals have been put forward by the Deputy and her colleagues with which the Government agrees; some proposals are more challenging and I will outline them present…

I know but I think it is appropriate that-----

-----I go down and launch that Hardest Stories campaign by Cuan. It is also working in partnership with the Department of education. I thank the Deputy for the motion. The Government is not opposing it. This is an issue that requires full attention from Government but I reiterate the Government will not have all the answers. There is a requirement for more and I will listen to all suggestions that come from this House.

We will.

We will.

It is a great honour to be before Seanad Éireann for the second time. I was here last week talking about a youth mobility scheme the EU is implementing with the UK and our intention to opt into it. I am back today to talk on an issue that probably is of more central importance to my function as Minister for Justice, that is, the whole area of crime, policing and community safety. I repeat what I said at the outset last week, namely, that I take very seriously my duty of being accountable to the Houses of the Oireac…